Farrukhan the Great

Farrukhan the Great
Ispahbadh, Padashwargarshah, Gilgilan
Portrait of Farrukhan the Great on the obverse of a silver dirham, based on the style of the Sasanian monarch Khosrow II (r. 590–628)
Ispahbadh of the Dabuyid dynasty
Reign712–728
PredecessorDabuya
SuccessorDadhburzmihr
Died728
Sari, Tabaristan
IssueDadhburzmihr
Farrukhan the Little
Saruya
HouseDabuyid dynasty
FatherDabuya
ReligionZoroastrianism

Farrukhan the Great (Persian: فرخان بزرگ, Farrukhan-e Bozorg; fl. 712–728) was the independent ruler (ispahbadh) of Tabaristan in the early 8th century, until his death in 728. He defended his realm from the Umayyad Caliphate, who, under Yazid ibn al-Muhallab were defeated by Farrukhan, who laid ambush to his army. He took the titles Ispadbadh, Padashwargarshah and Gilgilan and defeated a Daylamite revolt to his west. The city of Sari, Iran and the Shahr E-Espohdban were founded under him, and he moved his capital there. He also spent much of his reign fighting the Dabuyid nobility, in which he was successful, and Farrukhan died in 728 with his son Dadhburzmihr succeeding him.